Golf: Watson drops into 3-way tie at Travelers Championship

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Cromwell, Conn. • Charley Hoffman lost his chance at winning last year's Travelers Championship on the 71st hole.

His tee shot on the difficult par-4 17th at the TPC of River Highlands found the pond that runs along the fairway and he finished second, missing out on his third PGA Tour win.

This year Hoffman is in a three-way tie for the lead heading into Sunday's final round and he expects a different outcome.

"Obviously if I get on 17 tee [in the lead], I'd be lying to say I'm not going to think about that tee shot," Hoffman said Saturday after his 4-under 66 tied him with Bubba Watson and Graham DeLaet at 10-under 200.

"But I'm a much more mature, better player than I was a year ago and don't feel uncomfortable on that tee shot."

Watson, who led by two shots when he began the third round and by four shots midway through it, made three bogeys in his last six holes to help create the logjam. DeLaet tied for the low round of the day with a 65.

Chris Stroud and Nick O'Hearn are one shot back of the leaders at 9 under, while Ken Duke's 65 put him alone in sixth place.

Justin Rose, less than a week after his U.S. Open victory, is 7 under and in a tie for seventh after a second straight 68.

Watson, who won the 2010 Travelers, is trying to become the seventh man to win the event at least twice.

LGPA Tour

Stacy Lewis made four straight birdies and eight overall to shoot a 6-under 65 on Saturday and join a group of four players atop the leaderboard at 10 under after the second round of the LPGA NW Arkansas Championship in Rogers, Ark.

Lewis, the world's No. 2 player, earned an unofficial win at the rain-shortened event as an amateur in 2007. She is the local favorite this week, having played collegiately at Arkansas.

Champions Tour

Craig Stadler grabbed the outright lead at the Encompass Championship in Glenview, Ill., birdieing three of the four par-5s in a 7-under 65 Saturday that put him two shots ahead of Bob Tway and Jeff Sluman.

Stadler, who had a share of the overnight lead, shot 4-under 32 on his inward nine to finish the second round at 12-under 132. Tway also shot a 65 and Sluman had a 66 that included eight birdies and two bogeys. Leaderboard

Travelers Championship

Graham DeLaet -10

Charley Hoffman -10

Bubba Watson -10

Chris Stroud -9

Nick O'Hern -9

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